


You Killed Him

by FlOrangey



Category: Code Vein (Video Game)
Genre: Dark Comedy, Drama, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, So you post at 3AM, Sparring, When your axniety starts acting up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-22 14:56:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21078677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: Yakumo accidentally kills Louis during a sparring match, forcing him and the newcomer revenant Marleu, to go out and find him.





	You Killed Him

**Author's Note:**

> No really, that's the plot.
> 
> Reference images for revenant Marleu: https://imgur.com/a/xOuIHFE

The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the run-down church. Rin Murasame stood on the outside of the groups makeshift sparring arena as Louis and Yakumo continued their fight. The two had gotten into a somewhat heated argument that morning over where to go next in their search for the source of blood beads, so the two decided to make their decision with a 'quick' sparring match. Rin grinned as she watched them, a bag of popcorn in her hand.

“Those two still going at it?” Davis asked, getting his answer when Louis smacked head first into the billiard table. Any human would have stopped at that point, but revenants were more resilient. And in the case of the two young men fighting, more stubborn. Louis was back on his feet in an instant and rushing back for Yakumo. Davis shook his head. “Kids.”

“Popcorn?” Rin held out her bag of popcorn. Davis took a handful. The two continued to watch the fight, ignoring the back door to the hot springs opening down the hall. Coco, Io, and Marleu stepped into the main area, Marleu combing her wet hair with a brush.

“See? Feel better?” Coco asked.

“Yeah, it's not as tangled,” Marleu said as Io fluffed her own hair with her hands and nodded in agreement.

“Good. Use that in your hair twice a week and it’ll almost feel like you’re alive again.” She looked over to see the commotion and walked over. Marleu put the comb on the nearby dresser before and hurried after with Io.

“What’s going on?” Coco asked as they approached.

“Louis and Yakumo are fighting.” Rin said.

“... why?”

“Louis wants to go to the underground pit while Yakumo wants to go to the trenches. Popcorn?”

She held out the bag. Coco rolled her eyes, muttering about how the two were behaving like idiots before taking some popcorn. Marleu held a hand up to refuse and Io mimicked the gesture. They turned their attention back to the fight, just in time to see Louis dodge Yakumo's attack before phasing out of existence and reappearing a few feet away. Yakumo growled in frustration.

“Come on, that all you gonna do? Throw a few swings and teleport away like a coward?” Yakumo’s voice was loud. He then looked at them and a smirk formed on his face, “Looks like we have an-”

He was cut off by Louis rushing forward. His red sword almost reached Yakumo’s shoulder and would have pierced flesh had the taller man not moved out of the way in time. “You need to pay more attention to your enemy,” Louis said. “Last I checked, I'm still standing.”

“Only cause you’re playing keep away. Why don’t you fight me like an actual soldier instead of a kid who’s scared to ruin his hair!”

Coco sighed and shook her head. Marleu winced as she saw the glare on Louis' face. The dark-haired man’s eyes flashed redder than they already were and his stance became sharper. Yakumo noticed and steadied his grip as Louis came at him again. His movements were faster and his swing left an after image. Yakumo recognized the combat technique just from Louis’ change in aura and movement. Reckless Abandon.

Great… that worked both for him and against him. On one hand, Louis attacks were stronger and faster. On the other hand, his sense of self-preservation flew out the window. One well-aimed strike and Yakumo would have him knocked out on the floor. He just needed to hit him. Easier said than done.

Yakumo saw him out of the corner of his eye and turned in time to block the crimson blade. A grunt escaped his lips as he shoved the younger revenant back. Louis vanished without a trace and Yakumo swore under his breath before hearing the distinct sound of his opponent getting ready for another assault. He barely had time to avoid the strikes. The sharp side of Louis’ blade pierced his cheek, blood dripping from the cut.

“You’re slowing down Yakumo.” Maybe it was just Yakumo’s imagination, but Louis sounded almost cocky. He was going to bring that revenant down a peg or two. His opponent lunged, and that’s when he noticed it. Louis’ aura suddenly flattened, his skill gave out on him before he could finish the job.

This was his opening. Yakumo parried Louis' strike, spinning the blade out of the others hand and sending it flying. He then slammed his sword right into the young man’s stomach. The sound of flesh breaking and blood splattering about was loud in his ears. All he knew was the match was over at that moment. He won. He killed him.

He killed him…

Yakumo snapped out of the thrill of the match just as he saw Louis’ body disperse into countless particles, the parasite that kept them ‘living’ no doubt sensing the trauma its host suffered. The only thing that remained was his sword, which dropped onto the ground with a loud clang before it also vanished. Yakumo blinked, trying to process what happened, as Marleu ran into the makeshift sparring ring over to where Louis had been.

“What did you do?!” Her voice was loud enough to get him to jump and her face had redness to it he was sure matched her hair. Yakumo looked at her, then glanced at the others, who were all giving him different annoyed looks. Except for Rin, who was covering her mouth and trying not to laugh. And Io, who just looked confused by the entire scene.

“Uh... whoops?” He said, trying to laugh and finding the others just glaring at him. He sighed “Okay, maybe I got a little carried away.”

“You killed him,” Marleu said.

"You did indeed kill him." Davis said. Yakumo groaned.

“I know, I know." He tried to regain his composure, "Look, I know it looks bad, but sometimes this happens. We spar, we get a little too into it, one of us ends up dying. Give him a few hours, he’ll be back and everything will be fine.”

“You’re an idiot,” Coco said. Yakumo glared at her and pointed to the spot Louis used to be.

“He’s the one who used Reckless Abandon!”

“You’re _both_ idiots.”

Yakumo decided not to argue with Coco on that one. Davis then let out a sigh. “Well, I guess I’m done my business for the day. Can’t discuss provisional issues with Louis if Louis isn’t here to discuss them.” He looked at Coco and Rin. “You ladies let me know when he comes back. I’ll make sure to bring notes in case he forgets anything.”

“You can’t leave so soon Davis.” Rin pouted, the two and Coco exchanging words that fell in the background as Io crossed the arena where Marleu was still staring at the floor. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder, getting her attention.

“It's okay." Marleu looked at her, and Yakumo could see the obvious distress on their newest team member’s face.

“Look Mar, I get it, but don’t worry.” He pointed to the door outside. “You’ve seen the mistle at the entrance. In a few hours - a day tops - I can guarantee you Louis will reform and come back inside. He’ll probably be a little tired and hungry and want to punch me in the face, but a blood bead and some rest and he’ll be back to his overly self-serving self.”

Marleu raised an eyebrow and looked at Io, who gave her a smile and nod. She then looked back at Yakumo. “Okay.” A small smile crossed her face and Yakumo grinned at it.

“Great great. Now, who wants to do something fun?”

It was obvious Yakumo was trying to lighten the mood and get the others not to worry. Rin took the opportunity to jump in and grab both Io and Marleu's arms and drag them away to set up a monitor to play some video games. Yakumo almost shouted to them, but stopped himself. They needed something fun to do and they had enough power for a few hours of game time. Coco excused herself, deciding checking her inventory was more worth her time.

Yakumo gave Davis a proper farewell and told him he’d let him know when Louis was back. He then looked around to think of what he wanted to do for the next couple of hours. The bar was tempting, but it was still too early to drink. He looked over at the girls as Rin tried explaining how to hold a controller to Io, the poor revenant looking continually perplexed by the strange design. A grin crossed his face, some game time would do him a bit of good too.

“Hey ladies, got room for one more?”

* * *

After six hours, Yakumo checked outside to see if any Lost were getting too close to their base or if Louis had reformed. He found a few Lost, which he took out with very little trouble, but no Louis. A few hours later, when the sun was down and the world had become quiet to the point of being uncomfortable, he went out to look around again. No Lost, thank goodness. But no Louis.

The next morning came too quickly, and Yakumo would have preferred the sun stayed down for a few more hours. He forced himself to sit up and stretched, then climbed out of bed. Once dressed he stepped out of his room and paused when he saw Marleu’s door open. He peered in to see clothes from the previous day thrown into a corner, but what got his attention was her blood veil was missing. He walked into the main area of the dilapidated church and noticed her bayonet was gone from the weapon rack.

“Dammit Mar.” He muttered under his breath, grabbed his greatsword, and hurried to the entrance of the building. He pushed the double door open and stopped when he saw the sight of red hair out of the corner of his eye. Marleu was sitting on the ground near the mistle, her bayonet wrapped in her arms. He relaxed a little, the poor girl looked like she had been sitting there for awhile. “Hey,” he said getting her attention. “Pretty sure Coco’s supposed to be on guard duty.”

It was supposed to be a light joke, Coco never took guard duty, but the look Marleu gave her told him she either missed it or just didn’t find it funny. She looked back at the mistle. “I wanted to make sure it was still alive.”

Yakumo’s eyes fell back on the mistle, which pulsed softly, letting small green and white particles into the air. He took a few steps closer to her and held out his hand. “Come on, get up.” He said getting the girl’s attention. She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. “Help me get the others up, we're gonna get a plan together.”

Coco was already awake, the coffeepot on as she made preparations for her morning business. Yakumo asked her to stick around a little longer - getting a scowl and annoyed 'fine'- before going to get Rin. Marleu woke up Io. Once everyone was seated around the bar, Yakumo clapped his hands together. “Okay, so I checked last night and Mar and I double-checked this morning. Louis hasn’t come back yet.”

The girls had different reactions. Rin bit down on her lip a little, “That’s kinda not good. Shouldn’t he have come back by now?”

“Could be the BOR parasite needs a few more days before it decides it’s not in danger. You did do quite a number on him.” Coco said. Yakumo grumbled, not wanting to be reminded. “Course it’s always possible he reformed somewhere else. Doesn’t happen often but can happen, and could be a problem with all the Lost active lately.”

“Last time we were out, I did revive a lot of mistle. Maybe he ended up near one of them?” Marleu asked. 

Yakumo considered it and decided Marleu’s suggestion was possible. He vaguely remembered Louis going on about a paper he had read talking about how mistles 'attracted' reforming revenants to them. It was why they would rest by one whenever Marleu purified them, so they could sync to it. That way if one of them got killed, they could easily regroup, check on their fallen comrade and get back to work if they could, or call it a day if they couldn’t. And whenever they returned to the church, they synced with the mistle on the steps, just to be on the safe side.

Louis, always stuck in his head when not thinking of the immediate mission, probably forgot. “I’m gonna smack that idiot upside the head.” He muttered. Marleu raised an eyebrow as Yakumo continued. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna go out on the route Mar, Louis, and I did the other day. See if I can find him. You guys are to stay here in case he turns up.”

“I’m going too,” Marleu spoke up. “It’s too dangerous for one person.”

Yakumo’s first thought was to say no. They had cleared the majority of Lost in the area so there was no reason for them both to go out. But then he remembered Coco's comment, and just because they cleaned up a place well one day did not mean more had not wandered onto the road. Lost were like flies, always swarming in numbers and never away for long. “Alright. Mar and I will go.”

“Then I must go too.” Io’s voice got their attention, the girl standing up. Yakumo held a hand up.

“No, you stay.” He said. Rin jumped to her feet and grabbed Io’s hands.

“Yeah. It’s too dangerous for you out there. What if you get hurt?”

“But-“

“Io,” Marleu spoke up getting the white haired girl's attention, “I’ll be fine, I promise. We'll be back as soon as we can.”

Io looked at her, head tilting like she didn’t understand why Marleu would want her to stay behind. Then she lowered her gaze and nodded.

Yakumo and Marleu went over their route from the other day and then packed the things they would need for their mission. Marleu bought a few ichor concentrates from Coco and Yakumo packed a handful of blood beads for the trip. The plan was to get back to base by dark, but like any trip out into the city, there was no guarantee they would get when they planned too. Yakumo made sure they had enough to last three people a few days, and placed them in a container before putting them in the bag.

“Ready?” he asked. Marleu nodded and Yakumo tossed the bag over his shoulder before looking at the others. “We’ll be back as soon as we can. Hopefully with him.”

They started for the church entrance, then Yakumo stopped. He turned to the weapons and gas masks hanging on the Rin’s shelves. A thought crossed his mind, and he grabbed one. “Doesn’t hurt to have.” He stuffed it in the bag.

The walk to main city was easy enough, but once on the streets, Yakumo had his weapon out, ready for an inevitable attack by Lost. Marleu had her bayonet strapped to her side, one hand comfortably ready to grab it, the other holding the map. The plan was to check the areas near each mistle for signs of their friend and clear out any Lost that wandered into the general location. Some already had, to their dismay, mostly lesser ones with basic intelligence. Yakumo sliced through two shambling Lost wearing trash bags for cloaks. Marleu shot another in the distance dressed in fatigues, it stumbling so Yakumo could finish it off.

A few minutes after, they found their first mistle. Marleu knelt near it to make sure it was still flourishing normally. The soft green light and white particles that emitted from it were a comforting sight compared to all the dilapidated buildings and horrifying thorns splitting the ground. The majority of buildings were unlivable, but Yakumo knew from experience that it was possible to hide in them for a little while until the Lost dispersed. He stopped in front of one that looked like it might be usable as a temporary hiding place and pushed the door open. The wood creaked and right away he realized the interior was not safe. One wrong step or too much fighting could make the floor or ceiling collapse. He turned back around and saw Marleu had left the safety of the mistle and was looking down one of the streets. He joined her, and she turned back to him before pointing down the road.

Lost were everywhere. Not as many as the first time. Something must have drawn them out, but what he couldn’t think of. He saw Marleu steadying her bayonet and held a hand up when he saw her about to move. “Don’t. There’s other ways around that don’t involve a fight.”

He saw the small frown on her face, but she didn't say anything and simply nodded and followed him. She still held her bayonet close, ready if a fight broke out. The path Yakumo lead them down took them around most of the Lost that were shambling about mindlessly or laying hungry and the rubble. They checked their map occasionally to make sure they were still near the main path. Eventually, they found a smaller rotted mistle and some Lost hovering around it. Marleu looked at Yakumo, who gave her a nod before she raised her bayonet and shot one from a distance. The first stumbled back, leaving an opening for both revenants to come in and take out the rest.

Yakumo looked around as Marleu purified the mistle. “We’re still going the right way, right?" He asked. Marleu looked at the map, tilting her head, and then nodded. Yakumo looked around again and grumbled. "You sure?"

“I am.” Marleu said giving Yakumo the map. “If you don’t believe me, look yourself.”

Yakumo looked at the map, then her. She was reading the map right. They were retracing their steps from their last outing almost to the letter - brief detour aside, and yet Louis was not in sight. Yakumo grumbled and shook his head. “Idiot.”

“What?!”

He must have said it louder than he intended because Marleu was now glaring at him. “Not you!” he said looking around, bringing a hand to his head as he tried to think. Maybe this whole thing was a wild goose chase and Coco was right; Louis just needed a little more time for that BOR parasite to decide it was safe enough to reform his body. Maybe he was already back at the church, getting something to eat and getting some rest to get rid of the fatigue that came from heavy regeneration.

Yakumo would prefer that but much as he wanted to tell Marleu they should just head back to the church, he couldn’t. There was a feeling in his gut that told him they should continue looking. “Where’s the next large mistle?” He looked at Marleu and saw the girl crossing her arms. She then pointed to his hand. He was still holding the map. “Oh... ”

The next mistle was more than a few miles into the inner city. Yakumo recognized it well enough, using the words ‘bloodspring’ scrawled on the map to help him find where exactly they were. “This way.” He said, leading them to their next destination.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as afternoon hit and it was getting warm. The two reached the mistle after a few hours and Yakumo watched as Marleu knelt to check it, while he looked over the general area. No Lost. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or worried about that. He stretched, noticing how heavy his sword was becoming “Hey.” He called to Marleu, getting her attention. “Five minutes.”

Marleu stopped, and he noticed her nibble her lip, “I can look around more.”

“We’re staying together. Besides, I’m sure that bayonet is starting to feel heavy.” He could not help but notice her grip on her strap had tightened. Marleu looked at her weapon, and her shoulders dropped.

“Five minutes.” She repeated. She pulled the weapon off and set it down before taking a seat on some rubble. Yakumo walked over to her and did the same thing, sticking his sword in the ground and sitting down near it. Marleu leaned over, resting her her arms on her thighs, some of her bright red hair falling into her face, hiding her black and red eyes.

“You hanging in there?” He asked. Marleu looked up at him and brought her hand up to her head to wipe some sweat off her brow. She nodded, but Yakumo shook his head. He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water. “Here.”

Marleu stared at the bottle. “I thought we didn’t need to eat or drink anything.”

“You’re right we don’t, but that doesn’t change the fact some fresh water does the throat a lot of good,” Yakumo told her. “Go on, take it.”

Marleu did, popping the top off and putting it to her lips. She drank deep before pulling it away and letting out a sigh. Yakumo grinned. The girl looked like she hadn’t had a cool drink in a long time. “Feels good to wet the whistle, huh?”

“Very.” She wiped her lips with her glove, then handed the bottle back to Yakumo. “Thank you.”

“Yeah sure. You know how it is, two folks side by side looking for a good friend.”

“Cause you killed him.” Marleu pointed out. Yakumo opened his mouth, then shrugged and took a seat.

“Yeah.” He muttered, “Look I don’t deny it, sometimes Louis and I’s arguments can get a little heated. I guess it’s the revenant side in us that starts coming out when we get aggressive. We try to hold back because of the side effects. You know what they are, right? What’s scarier for us than dying?”

Marleu frowned, she knew what he was talking about. “It’s waking up and not remembering.” She brushed her hair back. “I remember waking up with Io and not knowing where I was or anything. I’m still surprised I could even remember my name.”

“Amnesia is common among revenants, but it sounds like you got hit with the worst of it.” Yakumo said, “No wonder Louis brought you and Io to our base. Besides the whole 'able to revive bloodsprings with your blood' thing. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I thought you were helpless and Io seems like she’s always got her head in the clouds.”

“I don’t really know what’s up with Io, but I'm get the feeling we'd be worse off if I hadn't met Louis in those tunnels.” Marleu said. She stretched out her back, reaching back to rub some sore muscles as she looked at him. “Can I ask you something Yakumo?”

“You just did, but yeah sure.” He chuckled. Marleu gave him a small smile, which faded when she asked her actual question.

“Have you lost any of your memories?”

Yakumo’s grin faded, his face taking on a serious and sorrowful look. His first thought was to say 'no', but he had already just said most revenants lose their memories. Marleu was struggling with her own amnesia, it was normal she would want to connect with someone who understood what she was going through. “I have.” He said. When she did not say anything else, he continued, “I have memories of my old group from before the Great Collapse-”

“Before?”

“Yup. Before.” He repeated, “But a lot of them are hazy. For some, their names come to mind but faces don’t. Others, faces but not names. We did a lot of... off-the-book jobs, but if you want exciting stories, you’re gonna have to look somewhere else.”

Marleu nodded and waited as Yakumo tried to get his thoughts together. His eyes lit up, his expression softened. “I remember after a hard job, we’d always go out to eat and drink to celebrate. A nice brandy was always good after a long hard job.”

“Really.” 

“Oh yeah, having a nice meal and getting sloshed is great after a long day,” Yakumo stretched, “Honestly that’s something we should probably do at Home Base. But everyone has different tastes in food, and resources are scarce enough as it is. And Louis got pissed off the last time I got hammered.”

“Everyone eats?”

“When they feel like it. Rin and Coco like chocolate. Actually, Coco likes anything that has a strong taste. Louis likes sandwiches, but I think he enjoys the making them part more than the actual eating them part. And yeah, me it’s alcohol and some nice onigiri.” Yakumo stretched and Marleu heard his shoulders pop, as he rested his hands back on his lap. He fell quiet, but when he spoke again he looked at her.

“Sometimes engaging in things we used to do when we were human helps us remember what we lost. Maybe it’ll help you too.”

Marleu contemplated his words. “But I don’t remember what I used to do when I was human.”

“Well, just hang out with us and make new memories. Maybe one day we’ll find some kind of trigger that leads to you remembering parts of your old life.” He grinned. “And we’ll be with you along the way. You’re helping us, so we’ll help you.”

Marleu smiled at Yakumo’s words, but if she wanted to say anything the sound of a guttural snarl made her snap her mouth shut and jump to her feet. She picked up her bayonet, Yakumo reached for his sword and glanced around, his eyes falling on a shambling mess of a thrall stumbling into their resting place. Only one.

Not one. Another shambled behind it. Then a third. He barely heard Marleu before seeing more coming from the other end. He looked at her, then back at the Lost. “Stay close, but watch your back.”

“Right.”

He heard gunfire and with it, charged headlong for the closest Lost. Yakumo knew his way around a greatsword well. Keep a proper distance from the enemy, cause up close he was screwed, but too far away and he’d be too obvious to read. Lucky for him Lost were so mindless in their search for blood most ran into his sword for him. It was uncommon one would still be smart enough to defend or dodge. Yakumo sidestepped another attack easily and cut right through one of the Lost’s chest. The monster fizzled out of existence, the red glow a harsh reminder that no matter how many times they put them down, they would eventually come back.

Yakumo caught a glance at Marleu, who parried a strike from a Lost and following up by slamming her blood veil into its stomach. He almost called for her to look out when another Lost came from the side, but she easily dashed out of the way of it. Yakumo had to admit, Marleu was not just an okay fighter, the girl had a gift for combat, from a quick dodge and switching easily from slashing a Lost across its chest to getting some healthy distance to follow up with a shot to the face.

She knew how to fight. Yakumo guessed she might have been a mercenary or soldier before she became a revenant. It would make sense given her skills. She skirted herself around another Lost and Yakumo saw her red and black eyes shine a vivid blue. It was only brief, anyone else would have missed it, but with the shift came the gathering of ichor and she launched a blast of fire into the Lost’s face.

So that was how switching blood codes worked. Yakumo recognized the attack as one that Louis would use. He had seen the two practicing now and again, but he did not expect to see using his abilities so soon.

He had to wonder how she would handle his blood code, but the thought left just as quick as it came. He focused back on the Lost in front of them. Another two cut down, another cry from behind him as Marleu cut through one with her weapon. So far they were fighting well…

“Yakumo!”

Marleu’s cry made Yakumo realize they had more than a few weaker Lost to worry about. He turned around just in time to see Marleu dodge being hit by a heavy hammer. One of the larger Lost had noticed the commotion and arrived. Its large body swayed with its movements and Marleu’s eyes faded back to their original color. “Great. Mar, move!”

Marleu dashed back and Yakumo hurried in front of her, readying his sword. The large Lost lifted its large hammer from the ground; its cackles muffled under its mask. Yakumo glanced over at Marleu who took a step back, then back at the large Lost. It could hit hard, but it was slow. Slow enough that even he could dodge around it and land a few solid hits. But Yakumo knew if that thing hit him hard enough he’d be a puff of sparks in seconds and Marleu would go down even faster.

“Stay back and shoot it when there’s an opening.” He told her The Lost raised its hammer and slammed it down, trying to hit Yakumo, who stepped out of the way. He struggled to keep his footing and swung his greatsword into the Lost’s leg. Black blood splattered the ground. He pulled the sword out of the beast and jabbed the blade into its stomach.

The Lost barely flinched. It grabbed Yakumo with its free arm and threw him into some nearby debris. The man landed hard on his back, his sword clattering to the ground. He pulled himself back up in time to see the Last preparing to slam its giant hammer onto him. That was when the sound of Marleu’s bayonet firing rang through the air and the Lost stumbled as Icho hit its head. It turned to her, cackles breathy and low through its mask as it charged her.

Marleu braced herself and dodged out of the way as its hammer slammed on the ground. Being close enough she spun her weapon on her arms, the bladed end striking the Lost’s thigh. Thinking quickly she moved out of the way of another hit and dashed to the back of the Lost. She was quick, Yakumo could give her that, behind the enemy and ready to land a hard strike with her blood veil.

The Lost was faster. Its eyes flashed red, it swung its body around, the movement making Marleu gasp in surprise. The hilt of the hammer slammed into her body, sending her flying into the debris. The shock of the impact ran down her spine, leaving her unable to move.

“Mar!”

The young girl groaned and forced herself to roll onto her stomach. She tried moving her legs, her muscles screaming at her, and tried to push herself up. She looked up as she saw the shadow of the oversized Lost hover over her, her eyes widening. “Move!”

She tried, but collapsed before she could and closing her eyes waiting for the inevitable.

It didn’t come. Instead, the Lost scream in pain. She opened her eyes and looked up at it to see a familiar face had gotten onto the monster's back and slammed his sword into its collarbone. “Louis?” The Lost stumbled back, dropping its weapon and writhing like an animal trying to get the invading revenant off its back. The man twisted the blade further, making it cry out before looking at her.

“Run!”

Her body didn’t want to move, but Marleu forced herself to her feet and hurried over to her bayonet. Yakumo got to his feet too and grabbed his greatsword as their friend pulled his blade out of the Lost’s shoulder and jumped off it. “Look at you, late to the party,” Yakumo said, his comment a mix of relief and attempted humor. Louis gave him a quick look and Yakumo’s eyes widened as he saw how red his friends’ eyes were and the damage on his gas mask. He nodded and readied his blade. Marleu had gotten her bayonet, spinning it and aiming down the sight.

The three didn’t even need to tell each other what to do. Yakumo moved first, running his sword across the Lost’s back. Marleu fired two shots at its head before dashing in and landing several stabs into its gut and chest. Finally, Louis came in from the side with his blood veil, digging the Orge Claws into its flesh, blood splattering everywhere as the Lost shrieked in pain. It stumbled forward and its body dissolved before it hit the floor.

Yakumo sighed and looked at Louis, and while he wanted to relax he immediately noticed Louis’ breath was heavy, his shoulders heaving up and down like he was having trouble breathing. “Hey, you-” before he could answer the man stumbled onto his knees, reaching his hands up to his mask. Yakumo and Marleu knelt down next to him, the former bringing a hand up to his friend’s shoulder and taking another look at that mask. Just as he thought, there was damage along the side. It wasn’t filtering properly.

“Mar, get the bag. Hey, Louis, stay with me, all right? Can you move?”

By some miracle he got Louis to stumble a little closer to the mistle, where the air was cleaner and free of the miasma. Marleu pulled out the spare gas mask Yakumo was glad he grabbed in hindsight and one of the blood beads. The sight of the glistening red color made the glow in Louis’ eyes brighter, and Yakumo pulled his hand back when he reached for it. “Hey, easy.” He said, keeping his voice calm.

He got the mask off Louis’ face and took the blood bead from Marleu. He barely had the bead in front of Louis before the other man grabbed it and after a brief hesitation sunk his fangs into the large bulb. Yakumo winced at the smell, even he had to admit he was feeling a little hungry, but he’d wait until Louis had his fill before considering lunch. He looked at Marlue, who had a worried look on her face.

“He’ll be fine.” He said. She looked at him and nodded. They then heard Louis sigh followed by the small thump of the now-empty blood bead hitting the floor, his hands and body going slack for several seconds before he brought his hand up to his mouth to wipe off the blood dripping from his lips. Yakumo brought his hand back up to Louis’ shoulder. “You with us?”

He got a small grunt which Yakumo recognized was less a growl and more Louis clearing his throat. “Think so…” He looked up at him, his eyes having a more noticeable heaviness to them, “Yakumo. Marleu. What are you guys doing out here?” 

Yakumo and Marleu looked at each other, then Louis, both smiling through their masks.

* * *

The streets were getting too dangerous because of Lost nearby hearing the fight. Yakumo had noticed one building looked sturdy enough they could hold up until Louis could get some of his strength back. The young man was exhausted. He had mumbled a little about a lot of fighting before falling into a sleepy daze. Yakumo guessed from the cracks on his old mask and the state of his clothes - dirty and with holes on the sleeves - the guy had to have been through more than a few fights with Lost on top of staving off bloodthirst.

Marleu shoved a door open. The place looked like a long-abandoned one-bedroom apartment. She checked around and seeing nothing was hiding motioned for the other two to come in. Yakumo had Louis lean against him and helped him sit down once they were in what looked like an old living room. “Okay, I know it sucks, but we’re gonna take care of the usual checks before I let you get some sleep.”

Marleu shut the door and placed a chair in front of it to make sure nothing could break in right away. She then went into the other room and sat down while Yakumo started asking Louis questions.

“Name?” He asked. Louis glared at him. “Just say it.”

He sighed. “Louis.”

“Last name?”

A brief silence. Marleu looked at Yakumo, who nodded and said, “Believe it or not that’s normal. And her? What's her last name?” He pointed to Marleu, who's jaw dropped. Louis looked at her and shook his head.

“Trick question, we don't know.”

“Okay, we’re off to a good start.” 

Yakumo asked a few more questions and Louis answered them best he could. He named all the people that had been living at the cathedral, except for Io. He could describe her appearance in detail, but Yakumo needed to remind him of her name. Given what could have been lost, the fact he only forgot one name and not anything about her was a positive sign. “Okay, one last question.”

“Yakumo…” Louis murmured, looking ready to lie down and sleep.

“Do you know how you died?”

Louis fell silent. If it weren’t because one of his eyes was visible through his hair, they probably would have thought he just went to sleep in protest. A frown crossed his face, and he shook his head. “No, I… “ he brought his hand to his head, "I remember fighting, but... against Lost or… ” He groaned and Yakumo shook his head. “I don’t feel like I’m supposed to be here… ”

Louis voice became low and Yakumo decided that was enough questions. They could do a full check when they got back to their base. “I’ll fill you in after you get some sleep.” He said and took his blood veil off and folded it so Louis could use it as a makeshift pillow. “Here, lie down.”

Louis was more than willing to comply. The young man laid down, letting his head rest on the jacket and closed his eyes. It did not take long for his breathing to even out, becoming rhythmic as he fell asleep. Marleu got up and looked out the window seeing the Lost roaming the streets. They were, to her relief, not attempting to swarm anyone or anything, instead just shambling about desperately searching for their next meal.

“Hey,” Yakumo said getting Marleu’s attention. He held a blood bead up from their bag. “Hungry?”

Marleu stared at the bead, then brought her hand up to her throat. She thought about the feeling in it for a moment and then nodded. Yakumo handed her the blood bead, which she held in two hands, before sitting down on the floor. Yakumo took one out for himself. “Well, might as well get comfortable, and have a snack. We're gonna be here a bit.”

Marleu looked at the sleeping Louis, then back out at the Lost wandering the street. “You think the others are worried about us?” She asked as she turned to Yakumo.

“Probably. Probably not.” Yakumo shrugged and Marleu looked down at the blood bead before biting into it. She sucked some blood out then looked up when Yakumo spoke again. “Hey, when we get back, why don’t I make you some onigiri.”

“Onigiri?” She asked. He had used that word before, but she wasn't sure what it was.

“Uh, you know, rice balls?” He said and Marleu thought for a moment before her eyes widened a little.

“Oh, those! I’ve heard of them, but I don't think I've ever had them before.” She said. Yakumo chuckled.

“Well, we’ll change that.” Yakumo said, “I can tell you right here, I make the best onigiri. Everyone back at base likes them. So does Davis. I bet money you will too.”

Marleu smiled, "I can't wait to try them"

* * *

Much as Yakumo would have been fine with Louis sleeping a few more hours, he wanted to get back to their base before evening. So after about two hours, and seeing the Lost had begun to thin out or become dormant, Yakumo kicked the young revenant in the leg. “Time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

Louis mumbled something that sounded like ‘five more minutes Karen’. Yakumo raised an eyebrow before kicking Louis harder in the leg. This got an actual grunt that broke Louis’ sleep. “It’s not safe to be taking a long nap here.” Louis sat up and stretched out his neck, then jumped and looked around.

“Where are we?” He asked.

“Don’t worry about it, just come on. We’re going home.”

Louis blinked a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes and got to his feet. Marleu looked at him. “You okay?” She asked.

He nodded, blinking and slapping his cheeks to wake himself up a little more. The three double-checked the street and seeing the Lost had thinned, left the building they were hiding in and went back outside. The air was the same as it had been not that long ago, but with their mission completed, the group had an extra spring in their step to get moving.

“So after you died, Mar and I set out to find you and that’s why we’re here.” Yakumo said, “Probably a good thing we did, you look like you got into a few good scrapes out here.”

“It's been a long day.” Louis said, keeping the statement short and simple as he looked between the two. “So I’m glad you guys came out here. But I still don’t remember how I died.”

Yakumo looked at him, then grinned under his mask and gave Louis a light punch in the shoulder. “Ah, don’t worry about it. It was-”

“Cause you two couldn’t decide where we would go next and got into a fight,” Marleu answered. Yakumo almost choked at her bluntness and Louis contemplated her words, blinking a few times.

“Right…” It was all coming back to him, “Between the Trenches and the Pit.” Yakumo groaned and Louis gave him an amused look, “So we got into a sparring match and you…”

“Not you, too. Look, it was an accident. I’m sorry.” Yakumo said. Louis just continued to give him that look, which made Yakumo fume. “Well, you wouldn’t have died if you didn’t use Reckless Abandon.”

“You insulted my hair!”

“No I insulted your fighting style, your hair just happened to come up. Which reminds me, I won, so we’re going to the trenches.”

“I don’t think so.” Louis fired back as Marleu groaned in the background, “The most important rule of a sparring match is not to kill your opponent. You broke that rule, so I say I won by default. So I pick. We’re going to the pit.”

“That’s bull-”

“Will you two stop?” Marleu shouted, getting the two boy’s attention. She took a deep breath. “When we get back, I’ll decide where we’re going and you two will suck it up! Please? I don’t want one of you dying again because you can’t come to an agreement!”

The two young men’s eyes widened as they stared at her, then looked at each other. Finally Louis let out a weak laugh and turned back to her. “All right Marleu, we’ll do it your way.”

“I guess that’s an option.” Yakumo grumbled. Marleu just sighed in relief as the three resumed their walk home.

**Author's Note:**

> The working title for this fic was 'Whoops' because this whole disaster was a mistake.


End file.
